Spinning ring holder



Nov. 14, 1961 J. WAYSON SPINNING RING HOLDER Filed May 15, 1959 Z w w TI w 3. w m M e luv 6 i Wm a M fig m Mm a F. m

'ilnited rates Fire 3,008,286 SPINNING RING HOLDER Andrew J. Wayson, Needham, Mass, assignor to Merriman Bros, Inc, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 15, 1959, Ser. No. 813,577 3 Claims. (Cl. 57-120) This invention relates to the textile industry and more particularly to spinning and twisting rings and the holders used in mounting the rings on the spinning frame.

The introduction of the porous metal spinning ring and the use of a spinning ring holder with an oil reservoir was a major technological achievement in the textile industry. However, it has been noticed that the amount of oil transmitted by the associated capillary wicks to the rings has declined slightly as the level of oil in the reservoir falls. This means that the traveler moving at a high rate of speed around the ring would receive somewhat more lubrication when the reservoir was full than when it was nearly empty, even though there was sufficient oil in the reservoir in the latter case to provide adequate lubrication. In other words the present practice is such that the rate of feed of lubricant to the ring is not constant, decreasing slightly as the oil level falls.

It is an object of my invention, accordingly, to provide a lubrication reservoir which supplies lubricant at a fair- 1y constant rate so long as there is some oil in the reservoir. Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple means of achieving the aforesaid object. A still further object of the invention is to utilize the existing rings and ring holders and the machines required to make them without the necessity of radical changes therein.

These objects are accomplished by dividing the standard unitary reservoir into two sections. One section is filled with an absorbent material, the wicks around the rings having their ends disposed within or between layers of the absorbent material. The other section or compartment is filled with a lubricating oil and communicates with the first compartment by another, but separate wick circuit. This wick has no connection with and is entirely separate from the wicks actually lubricating the ring. Effectively, the coupling wick from the oil compartment to the absorbent material compartment simply conducts oil from the reservoir to the section feeding the lubrication wicks. The characteristics of the coupling wick and the absorbent material in what I call the feed-out compartment are chosen so that the absorbent material stays saturated with lubricant even when the coupling wick is covered with a minimum of lubricant. Thus the rate at which oil is consumed by the ring is no longer a function of the rate at which the oil falls in the reservoir compartment. So long as there is any oil in the reservoir compartment the absorbent material in the feed-out compartment will provide oil to the capillary wicks at a constant rate of feedindependent of the quantity of oil in the rservoir.

These and other features of the invention will be more particularly understood with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of a spinning ring holder having a separate oil reservoir and a separate oil feedout compartment;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 to enlarged scale showing the absorbent material within the feed-out compartment and the capillary lubricating wicks placed therewithin;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 to enlarged scale showing a partitioning bulkhead between the oil reservoir and the feed-out compartment and a coupling wick passing over the bulkhead;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1 to enlarged scale showing the absorbent material Within the feed-out compartment and the coupling wick placed therein, and

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 1

to enlarged scale showing the coupling wick between the oil reservoir and the feed-out compartment, the wick passing through a groove at the top of a partitioning bulkhead.

a In FIG. 1 of the drawings, a ring holder embodying the present invention is designated at 10. Mounted in a conventional manner within holder 10 is a spinning ring 12. i

The ring 12 is of rigid porous material such as sintered powdered metal and has one or more circumferential grooves 13 thereabout in which is positioned one or more wicks 26. The holder has a lubricant carrying section generally designated at 14 which is divided into two separate compartments 16 and 18 by a partitioning bulkhead 20. Both compartments are sealed by a common transparent cover 15. As will be noted from FIG. 5, the bulkhead 20 separates an oil reservoir compartment 16 from what I call a feed-out compartment 18. Oil is supplied to reservoir 16 through the depressible valve 17. The feed-out compartment 18 is filled with an oil absorbing material 22 such as felt, for example, in which the ends 24 of the lubricating wicks 26 terminate. A coupling wick 28 runs from the oil reservoir 16 over the top of bulkhead 20 through notch 27 to the oil feed-out compartment 18 where its end is embedded in the material 22. Capillary action carries oil from reservoir 16 to material 22 in compartment 18 and provides means for keeping the absorbent material 22 saturated with oil and the lubricating wicks 26 constantly supplied. That is to say oil travels from the reservoir 16 to material 22 only as the oil is removed from material 22 by the wicks 26. If the ring 12 is idle and is not using oil, then flowthrough wick 28 will stop with material 22 remaining saturated.

With ring and traveler in operation, the oil is carried by the lubricating wicks 26 to all parts of the grooves 13 of the ring 12. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the coupling wick 28 is distinct from the lubricating wicks 26; the function of the coupling wick is to keep the absorbent material 22 in the feed-out section 18 saturated with oil.

Regardless of the declining oil level in compartment 16, material 22 in compartment 18 will be maintained in saturated condition and hence the rate of transfer of oil to wicks 26 and ring 12 will be substantially constant. Thus the falling head of oil in compartment 18 does not alfect the rate of oil feed to the ring 12.

This invention also provides a safety margin after the oil reservoir 16 is completely empty; the absorbent material 22 will continue to supply wicks 26 for an appreciable time after all oil is drained from the reservoir 16. Thus the operator will have some extra time in which to refill reservoir 16.

Certain minor variations of this preferred embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art; and, therefore, it is not my intention to confine the invention to the precise form herein shown, but rather to limit it in terms of the appended claims. It is also to be understood that when reference is made in the claims to spinning rings, such language encompasses twisting rings as well.

Having thus described and disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A spinning ring holder for holding a spinning ring in operative position and for providing a storage supply and substantially constant oil feed for said ring, said holder having associated therewith an independent oil reservoir and an independent compartment filled with an absorbent material, said holder having capillary means other than said absorbent material for causing the passage of oil from said reservoir to said absorbent material in said compartment, a Wick in contact with said absorbent material for supplying said oil to said ring, and said abso bent material having a capillarity selected to maintain substantially complete saturation as long as free liquid oil remains in said reservoir; whereby said wick remains in a substantially constant environment of oila saturated absorbent material as long as free liquid oil remains in said reservoir. 7

a 2. The combination of a spinning ring holder, an independent lubricating oil reservoir and an independent feed-out compartment, said feed-out compartment having an absorbent material therein against which the ends a of spinning ring lubricating wicks are placed, said reservoir being connected by separate capillary means to said feed-out compartment and said absorbent material having a capillarity selected to maintain substantially complete saturation as long, as free liquid oil remains in said reservoir; whereby saidtwick remains in a substantially constant environment of oil saturated absorbent material as long as free liquidoil remains in said reservoir.

3. In a spinning ring holder, means for causing a substantially uniform rate of transfer of oil to a porous type spinning ring mounted in said holder, said means comprising two separate compartments having a wall therebetween, one of said compartments substantially filled with an oil absorbent material, the other of said compartments adapted to contain oil, a wick running from said other compartment to said absorbent material with an intermediate part of said wick passing over said wall at a point i References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stuart Nov. 6, 1934 Herr Feb. 10, 1948 

